Artisan chocolatier Amy Levin entertained and delighted us with a demonstration of how delicious chocolate could be made which was entirely natural; free from gluten, wheat, dairy and refined sugars.
She brought a small melanger (stone grinder machine), in which nibs (small, crunchy pieces of raw or roasted cocoa beans) were gradually combined with cocoa butter, to illustrate the process. As the cocoa nibs were being absorbed, the chocolate aroma became more apparent.
We were able to taste a variety of chocolate nibs. It was interesting to note the different responses to the different flavours produced by beans roasted at varying temperatures. Amy explained the difficulty in sourcing ethically grown cocoa, i.e. produced without child labour/exploitation and ensuring that farmers receive fair pay and work in safe, sustainable conditions. Climate change has increased cocoa prices to such an extent that a company called California Cultured now produces lab-grown cocoa!
To conclude, Amy kindly brought a variety of individual chocolate delights to celebrate the 88th anniversary of Edington and Tinhead WI.
The Bystanders Can be Lifesavers campaign calls on WI members to work together to increase public confidence and training in the delivery of CPR and to work with local organisations to help improve access to defibrillators in their communities.
To this end, we arranged for trainers from St John Ambulance to come to the village hall on Saturday to demonstrate how to use a defibrillator and how best to support someone in cardiac arrest. 21 people from the community attended and kindly donated over £100 to the organisation. Very instructive and encouraging.
